


Illusions and Choices

by heartbrewlove



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: ATEEZ Storyline Event
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:22:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25164622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartbrewlove/pseuds/heartbrewlove
Summary: an hourglass is found on the beach and choices are made from there...
Kudos: 2





	Illusions and Choices

**Author's Note:**

> hello! this is for the ateez storyline event. i had a lot of fun writing it and then immediately felt like i should have written it differently..but i am proud of me for doing so.  
> 

It all seemed like a dream. An illusion, if you will. 

He picks up the mask from the ground and regards it curiously. It’s a half face mask, all black and soft, with silver chains woven into the front that make an “X”. He’s never seen it before, but it seems somehow familiar to him, like something he should know or remember. He turns it over in his hands to inspect it further, as if that will give him some clues, and just barely sees the small lettering along the side. It’s too faded to fully read but he can just make out an “A,” “T,” and a “Z” that are stitched into the fabric. He runs his fingers over the raised lettering, considering what it means. 

Not for the first time, he looks around himself to try and guess his surroundings. All he can see is endless beach and sand, the water a crystalline blue and the sky painted in beautiful shades of pink, orange, and purple as the sun sets. As he moves to stand, the falling sun glints off of a glassy object stuck in the sand. Curiously, he fully rises and goes over to the...hourglass? He looks around the beach, unsure of what to do, but it looks as deserted as ever. He debates his choices for a minute, wondering if he really should touch the unknown glass, but really, what choice is there? As his fingertips graze the cool glass, he gets a sudden attack of images that makes him drop to the ground in shock as multiple scenes and people flash in front of him, as if he were watching a movie. 

He sees a young guy running, arm outstretched with a phone grasped in his hand as he runs through the crowd, looking around and crying out, “Where are you? Where did you go?” Crowds of people push past him, not paying him any attention as he crouches down, quickly scrubbing tears from his face. “Real,” he whispers to himself as he rocks back and forth, staring at his phone. “You were real. You are real. How am I supposed to do this alone? What am I supposed to do? Brother, please. Don’t leave me.” He rocks back and forth even more quickly as the tears fall freely down his face. No one passing by seems to notice that he slowly but surely fades, until the vision of a man sitting and crying with his phone in his hand is nothing but an illusion. 

He sees a tall blonde walking down a dimly lit street, staring dejectedly at the ground as he walks slowly, as if he has the weight of the entire world on his shoulders. Above him, the stars shine brilliantly in the night sky, as if someone were setting each individual star alight to be even more spectacular. Curiously, the blonde does not seem to notice the sheer beauty in the sky above him; if anything, he hunches his shoulders as he draws into himself more. He remembers always feeling so lonely in this world, so unsure no matter what was happening. He remembers his mother whispering at him to look at the night sky, “look at all the stars that are there, look at them shine.” He looks up sharply to the blackened sky, as if the words were just whispered into his ear. One by one, the brilliantly lit stars wink out, plunging the sky into a greater darkness. He knows that they were never there for him, and returns his gaze to the ground as he continues to walk. 

He sees a dark haired man curled into the seat of a car that seems to be speeding on an endless highway to a destination unknown. He is curled into his dark hoodie, hair falling into his eyes, as if he hopes his obscured vision will mean he is invisible. He ignores the other people in the van, as if he were truly alone. Despite the fact that he is quiet and withdrawn, his eyes are constantly searching the horizon, as if he is looking for some answer or sign within the clouds. Endlessly they travel, endlessly they drive. Until they don’t. For a brief moment, the car stops and it’s as if the whole world has taken a deep and shuddering breath. Without even thinking, he sees his sign and flings the door open just as the car begins to move again. Without breaking stride, he is running, running, leaving the moving car and everyone in it behind. Without looking back, he keeps running. No matter the cost, he is finally free. 

He sees a younger man sitting dejectedly on a bench, looking lost within himself. He is an island unto himself; he seems completely unaware of the yells and shouts of glee of other people across the park, of the people walking around or playing basketball or lounging against the fences. The sadness is palpable coming from him. He looks so lost and alone. He seems directionless, like a map without words or symbols, like a compass without its north point. He seems too young to feel this alone and lost but as he lets out a deep, deep sigh, it is apparent that he is. 

He sees a young man with dark hair falling into his face and a happy laugh who seems to always place others above him, even if it hurts him the most. He sees him walking with a group of friends that don’t have his light and spark, that seem to time and time again just hurt him. He sees the reflection of the choices his friends make on him, how they are slowly taking his light, draining his spirit, and replacing it with something a little more darker. He sees the love and dedication this one man can have for so many around him, seeing all of the hope and kindness that resides in him like a living thing. He sees how it falters each time one of his friends makes a wrong choice, or chooses the wrong path. He sees that he doesn’t realize his mistake until it’s too late, as he lays curled up on the ground, watching his friends watch the light draining out of him before walking away. It’s then that his eyes find the sky, slowly looking to where the horizon meets, that he realizes he only needs to think of one thing now. Himself.

He sees someone who tries hard, who tries so hard, to make things better. Who wants to believe in luxuries like hopes and dreams, who wants to believe that things that can get better and change. He watches as he tries again and again to keep that small flame of hope alive, even against his better judgement until it’s snuffed out again. He watches as his dreams continue to fall to the ground like lightly fallen snow, where they melt and merge with all of the other dreams. Each day he stands so tall and proud, so determined to make the best of the hard life he has been given. And each night he sees those dreams slowly crumble to the ground, fall apart like paper that is wet. Who even said that dreaming is free? 

He sees the man in the orange sweater clutching the bracelet in his hand, the fear and pain on his face a tangible thing. His eyebrows are knit in confusion as he struggles to remember something, anything, that can guide him. Very softly, he smells something in the breeze that he can’t name but for one thing: Her. His eyes sweep the streets as he tries to understand exactly what has happened, why he has ended up here, and what will happen next. But there is no answer, of course, and the breeze mockingly sweeps at his face, teasing the scent once more before it blows away.

The visions in his mind mix and swirl until they are one, a combination of sights, sounds, and smells that terrify, confuse, and soothe him at the same time. The images move throughout the hourglass and around and into him, moving and seeking until he is not sure where the visions end and he begins. They move around his limbs and his body and over his eyes, until he suddenly cannot see. Crying out, he moves his hands to his eyelids as if he is removing a blindfold when he suddenly hears his name. 

“Hongjoong.” 

Slowly, Hongjoong turns to face the voice. The darkness slowly falls from his eyes to reveal a figure before him, wearing all black with a hat and mask obscuring his face. But most curious is the hourglass that he holds invitingly in his hand, the sand within it alight, shining, and shimmering as if alive. 

“Why am I here? What is happening?” Hongjoong asks, throat gravelly as if it has been years since he spoke. 

The figure merely inclines his head and gives a chuckle. “What are you looking for?”

Hongjoong considers this - what is he looking for? What isn’t he looking for? What has been his purpose for so long? But before he can open his mouth, the man nods slightly at the hourglass and towards Hongjoong.

“There are so many things out there worth looking for. So many journeys you can take under this horizon. So many people that can join you. What are you looking for? What is it that you want? Think carefully, for there is no wrong answer but only honest ones.”

Hongjoong closes his mouth as he considers this. “Can I only be looking for one thing?”

The man smiles, delighted, and the sand in the hourglass seems to light even brighter and dance within the glass. “This can be but a dream within a dream. There are dimensions and worlds out there that can exist even beyond your comprehension. There can be entire lives to be saved out there. How can you truly limit yourself to just one?” He laughs and pauses, watching Hongjoong consider each word as if it were a fine jewel. “There is so much to be sought and you have made the first step in considering them all.” 

He steps closer to Hongjoong, holding the hourglass out as if it were a priceless object. “Are you ready for this long journey? Are you ready to possibly set aside your dreams to create new ones? Are you willing to scale different dimensions to find all that you can? Are you open to that risk?”

Hongjoong watches the sand dance within the hourglass and feels as if time has slowed to follow each particle of sand as it falls in the hourglass. He thinks about the seven people whose lives he just witnessed through the touch of the gass. He thinks of the different versions he has seen of himself within the glass. Truly, did he ever really have a choice to choose anything but this? 

“I didn’t dream of this,” he murmurs, stepping closer to the hourglass. “But I feel like it was to happen anyways.”

The man tilts his head, hat falling slightly to the side. “It’s not the reality that makes you lose your dream; it is your decision,” he replies. He regards Hongjoong curiously. “What is your treasure?”

Hongjoong stares at the hourglass for an infinite amount of time, where all he can see is the countless dreams and possibilities not only for himself but for those seven that are haunting his memory. “They are,” he hears himself say without thought. “That is my treasure.” 

The man smiles once more as he extends the hourglass forward towards Hongjoong. “Then dream.”

As Hongjoong reaches for the hourglass and turns it over, he braces himself for the images of it this time. He is more than ready and welcomes the visions that dance across him of all seven and knows he is finding them again and he is closer..closer..closer…there…

Open your eyes.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it a little bit! Definitely let me know your thoughts!! I am so so excited for comeback!!


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